Night Swarm is a top-down action roguelite that gives you that classic “just one more run” feeling. It works like other survivor-style games where enemies get stronger the longer you play, but it adds a twist. Instead of simple stages, you move through a map inspired by Slay the Spire, traveling across different areas until you reach the final boss. The vampire theme fits the game really well, giving us dark castle rooms, a desert, and a frozen land. Enemies change a little between areas, and each place feels different in its own way.
You can play with or without the mouse, which is nice if you just want to relax and move with the keyboard. The game isn’t trying to reinvent anything – you can only dash and everything else happens on its own. But when the screen fills with enemies, you still need to react fast, watch patterns, and use all the tools the game gives you. And there’s actually a lot to learn.
However, one thing feels very frustrating: the AI voices. There are many characters inside the game, yet they all sound lifeless. I couldn’t stay interested in the dialogue because the voices ruin the mood. They don’t even sound like bad acting, they just feel flat and robotic. Even sounds like the wolf howling seem AI-generated, and it’s distracting more than anything.
At first, the game might feel a bit overwhelming, but everything is set up in a very simple way. In the main hub, you can spend currency to make yourself stronger. You can upgrade companions that join you in a run, or boost passive stats like dealing more damage or having more health. Plus, you can equip and upgrade different pieces of equipment (like a cane, cloak, and boots) and unlock new designs (blueprints) for them, which all give you unique bonuses.
You can also improve the starting runes you use, which offer bonuses like HP regeneration. Basically, there are tons of ways to upgrade, and you’ll want to try them all. Another great feature is unlocking new artifacts, skills, and abilities that appear during your playthrough, which you can eventually combine into stronger abilities. The game is certainly generous with its many features, but do they all work well?
This game isn’t very difficult, and it’s easy to get the hang of. I was hoping the large enemy swarms would offer more of a challenge, but once you find a powerful set of upgrades and level up fast enough, the game gets too easy. It reaches a point where you can just walk around, and nothing can hit you, or if it does, you heal quickly. The upgrades appear often, and the feeling of becoming much more powerful every time you play is one of the most fun and rewarding parts of the game.
The map is also packed with things to do, which is a great addition because the game never feels empty and keeps you moving. You’ll need to find specific map spots to uncover hidden areas. You’ll also discover different structures where you can spend gold for new abilities and bonuses, including gold mines you can dig up. Other helpful structures, like machines that shoot enemies or storage boxes you destroy for resources, are also scattered around. Night Swarm has a huge amount of different currencies that you spend in the hub, and while explaining all of them would take a while, just remember you’ll be constantly collecting them.
Night Swarm is a very fun game, and the map system adds a lot to that fun. For example, there is a reputation system. You can do side quests on the map to earn reputation points, which you then spend to unlock or upgrade your Companions. These companions fight next to you once you unlock them during a run. They use their own special skills, like giving you health, boosting your damage, or setting enemies on fire. The maps also have mini-bosses and camps where you can heal or upgrade yourself. There are also resource points you can visit, which forces you to plan your route carefully.
At the end of each map, there is a boss fight. I found these fights to be pretty weak. You are placed in a small, tight area, and the bosses have a huge amount of health you need to slowly bring down. They do have attack patterns you must learn, and they use various moves against you. I had really hoped for a massive, large-scale boss battle, but those hopes were quickly crushed. The bosses themselves look interesting, but the scale and the actual fight against them are quite disappointing.
Another great point is how polished the game looks. There are no dropped frames or strange visual bugs; everything looks well-made and beautiful. My favorite part is the design of the character and enemy figurines. It’s such a cool idea to add life to the game, you’re not full 3D vampires but rather a small figurine moving around. Developers also did a great job setting the atmosphere with traps scattered across the areas. The art style fits perfectly with everything else in the game.
The story is quite forgettable and feels like it doesn’t matter much. You are just progressing, and that’s fine. You truly don’t need to stop and listen to what characters say or try to learn more about them. As I mentioned before, the AI voices absolutely ruin this experience, and it’s a real shame the developers didn’t hire proper voice actors.
The game really respects your time. Since each part of the map takes about three minutes to finish, an entire run lasts only around 30 minutes. After you beat the final boss, you unlock an endless mode which is much harder. The jump in difficulty compared to the normal mode was a real surprise. You will never feel like the game is wasting your time.
If you enjoy roguelites, or any game that rewards you the more you play, Night Swarm is worth your time. Even if you are new to this kind of genre, it is still a great one to try, especially since it is a very polished experience from start to finish. I’ll say it one last time: Night Swarm perfectly gives you that “just one more run” feeling, and you will easily spend hours playing until you feel like you’ve done everything you wanted.
Review copy provided by the publisher
